Life-saving apparatus.



T. PEIGENBAUM.

LIFE SAVING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED APR.16,1914.

L 1 3 1 l 9? Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

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ISAAC FEIGENBAUM, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

LIFE-SAVING APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IsAAc FEIGENBAUM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Life-Saving Apparatus, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved life saving apparatus particularlyadapted to be used as a fire escape, the object of the invention beingto provide an apparatus which can be placed in the difierent rooms of ahotel or olfice building to enable those who are unable to descend bythe staircase or elevators to escape to the ground quickly and withoutinjury.

The apparatus is so constructed that the flexible member by which aperson descends from the Window to the ground will upon being releasedbe automatically wound up on a reel, so that the apparatus can be usedby one person and then upon the rope being released the apparatus is soconstructed that the same will be wound up on the reel and anotherperson can use the same to escape from the building.

The apparatus is so constructed that it may be set to give a certainspeed of descent for persons of different weights.

The invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts setforth in the following specification and particularly pointed out in theclaims thereof.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved lifesaving apparatus. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is asectional elevation taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is aperspective view of the carrier.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of thedrawings.

In the drawings, 5 is the frame of the apparatus. 6 is a part of saidframe, ordinarily designated the bed-plate, 7 is a reel which isfastened to a shaft 8 journaled to rotate in bearings 9 on the frame ofthe ma chine. This reel has attached thereto a flexible member, such asa rope or cord 10, which extends from the reel outwardly over rollers 35j ournaled to rotate on a frame 36 fast to the sill 11 of the window ofthe building. The shaft 8 has a gear 12 fastened thereto which meshesinto a gear 13 fastened to a shaft 14 which is journaled to rotate inthe frame 5. The gear 13 meshes into a gear 15 which is fastened to ashaft 16 journaled to Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 9, 1915..

Application filed April 16, 1914. Serial No. 832,384.

rotate in bearings in the frame 5. Said shaft 16 has a drum 1? fastenedthereto against the periphery of which a brake lever 18 bears. The brakelever 18 is pivoted at 19 to a bracket 20 fastened to a stay-rod 21which extends across the machine and is fastened to the side frames 5thereof. The free end of the brake lever 18 terminates in a segmentalarm 22 substantially concentric with the pivot 19, and this segmentalarm is provided with teeth 23 which are adapted to be engaged by acollar 2% which has a hole 24: extending therethrough and inclined at anangle. The lower edge of said collar engages one of the teeth 23 and theupper edge thereof engages the opposite edge of the arm 22 from thatupon which said teeth are located (see Fig.

The lower end of a spring 25 terminates in a hook 26 which engages aneye 27 rotatably mounted in the bed-plate 6, said bedplate constitutinga portion of the frame of the apparatus. The upper end of the spring 25is connected to the collar 24. By moving the collar 24 upwardly ordownwardly on the arm 22 the tension on the spring 25 will be increasedor diminished, respectively, and consequently the pressure of the brakelever 18 upon the drum 17 may be correspondingly increased ordiminished. The arm 22 has index marks 28 thereon which indicate theproper tension which is to be applied to the spring for persons ofdifferent weights. For example, if the bottom of the collar 24:registers with the mark 200, then the brake is set for a person weighing200 pounds to descend by means of the flexible member 10, or, if thebottom of the collar registers with the mark 150 on the arm 22, then theapparatus is set for a person weighing 150 pounds to descend to theground by means of the flexible member 10. Thus the apparatus can be setto give the same speed of descent to a person weighing 200 pounds as toa person weighing 150 pounds or to any weight between 100 and 400pounds.

It is very desirable that after one person has descended to the groundthe flexible member 10 should be automatically coiled up on the reel 7,and to accomplish this desirable result a spring 28 is provided whichencircles a rotary shaft 29 journaled to rotate in bearings 30 on theframe of the machine. This spring is fastened at one end to the shaft 29and at its other end it is fastened to one of the side frames 5. Arotary motion is imparted to the spring 28 to wind it up by the rotationof the reel 7 when said reel is being rotated in thedirection of thearrow at (Fig. 2), the shaft 29v being rotated by means of a gear 31fastened thereto and meshing into a gear 32 journaled to rotate on astud 33 fast to the frame of the machine. The gear 32 meshes into a gear34L which is fastened to the shaft 14.

As a convenient means for enabling persons to be lowered by the flexiblemember 10, I provide a carrier 37 which consists of a frame 38With sidebars 39 extending downwardly therefrom and a base or rest 40. The personbeing lowered stands upon the base 40 and holds onto the side pieces 39,the frame 38 being connected to the end of the flexible member or ropel0.

The general operation of the apparatus hereinbefore specificallydescribed isas follows: Assuming the partsto be in the positionillustrated in the drawings, the person who is to be lowered stands uponthe base 40 of the carrier and holds onto the sides 39. His weightcauses the reel 7 to rotate in the direction of the arrow at. The cord'10 passes from the reel over the friction rollers 35 to the carrier andas it is paid out from the reel 7 the rotation of said reel causes thegear 12 to rotate, thus rotating the gear 13 and the shaft 14 in theopposite direction to that in which the gear 12 rotates. The shaft 14'having the gear 34 attached thereto causes said gear to rotate, thusrotating the gear 32 into which it meshes. The rotation of the gear 32causes the gear 31 to be rotated, thus rotating the shaft 29 and windingupthe spring 28. At the same time the rotation of the gear 13 rotatesthe gear 15 and the drum 17 against which the brake lever is bearing.WVhen the person being 7 lowered by the cord 10 arrives at the ground hegets off of the carrier and releases the cord orrope 10, together withsaid carrier, while the person left in the room containing the lifesaving apparatus releases the lever Y 18 by slipping the collar 24: offof the arm 22. The reel thus being released from the pressure of thebrake lever 18 is caused to rotate in the proper direction to wind thecord thereon by the spring 28" unwinding, and as said spring 28 unwindsit causes the different gears hereinbefore described to rotate in theopposite direction from that in which they were rotated when the cord 10was being paid out from said reel and thus the cord 10 is wound up onthe reel and the carrier is brought up to the'window in order thatanother person may descend upon it.

As soon as the carrier arrives at the window the person in the roomslips the collar 24 up on the segmental arm 22 to the index mark whichindicates his weight and the device is then in condition to lower him tothe ground in the same manner described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire by LettersPatent to secure is:

1. A life saving apparatus having, in combination, a reel, a flexiblemember ar ranged to be coiled on said reel, a drum c011- nected to saidreel, a brake lever arranged to bear against said drum, an arm on thefree end of said lever with teeth thereon, a collar slidable on said armadapted to engage said teeth, and a spring connecting said collar to theframe of said apparatus, whereby the pressure of said brake on said drummay be varied.

2. A life saving apparatus having, in combination, a reel, a flexiblemember arranged to be coiled on said reel, a drum connected to saidreel, a brake lever arranged to bear against said drum, a pivot for saidlever, a segmental arm on the free end of said lever substantiallyconcentric with said pivot and with teeth thereon, a collar slidable onsaid arm adapted to engage said teeth and a spring connecting saidcollar to the frame of said apparatus, whereby the pressure of saidbrake on said drum may be varied.

3. A life saving apparatus having, in combination, a reel, a flexiblemember arranged to be coiled on said reel, a drum connected to saidreel, a brake lever arranged to bear against said drum, an arm on thefree end of said lever with teeth on one edge thereof, a collar slidableon said arm and having a hole extending therethrough and inclined at anangle, the lower edge of said collar arranged to engage one of saidteeth and the upper edge of said collar arranged to engage the oppositeedge of said arm from that upon which said teeth are located and aspring connecting said collar to the frame of said apparatus whereby thepressure of said brake on said drum may be varied.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing as hereinbefore J. Konronnn.

Copies otthis patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

